So my name is Alicia and Im almost 29 years old.
My adventure with lichen sclerosis started 7 years ago, when I started to experience a strange feeling in the vulvar area, kind of a burning feeling when I pee.
I had this for many months, I went to doctors, nobody could help me…
I continued to suffer without being able to have sex with a partner.. a year has passed, no improvement…
Then I started to see 2 white patches on the 2 labias in the vulvar area. I started to notice that I can’t clean them, there are just there.
The area started to be more painful, it started to scratch
… vulvar prurit has appeared. I could not go to the beach anymore, it started to burn immediately even just with the bathing suit on me. I could not go for a walk in the sun, I immediately started to feel bad and the area started to scratch.
I suffered a lot, but at this time it was still barable. Doctors continued to test me for STD, they would say im crazy and that I dont have anything. They would give me many creams, I took weeks of antibiotics for nothing.
At the end of 2017 I started to try to diagnose my situation by myself. At that time I could barely sleep at night from scratching, my life were not life anymore. I felt very bad and weak and I just didnt know what to do.
I could barely wash the vulvar area in the shower, I would cry from the pain.
Then I read on the internet that my situation is probably what I see as lichen sclerosis. I studied medicine so I realised it was not a good situation. I started to use Tacrolimus cream for a few months until March 2018 … and then one day I saw that I can barely see the 2 labias of the right side of the vulvar area. It was like they start to be one !
I was horrified to see that. I was 25 years old then….i was again looking in the internet and checking what solutions exist to that situation…and then I saw that in USA prp exists. Immediately I checked in europe what I can do and I read about doctor Francesco Casabona in Genova, Italy.
I immediately wrote him an email, he responded very quickly and said that I might have lichen and after 1 month I was already on the flight to Genova with my mom to get the first prp treatment.
Doctor Casabona is the nicest doctor that you will ever meet… he keeps you very relaxed, explains everything, and makes everything that you would not feel any pain in the procedure. He always smiles, he is such a lovely person. I did the prp treatment 3 times in Italy in almost a year and it changed my life. I finished treatment in 2019.
I dont have any symptoms now, I feel like a woman again… I admit I did many psycological treatments and fisiotherapy that would help me to get back to sex life because its not easy to overcome this disease. I just announced my doctor I started to have sex now without pain! I know that this is a complete miracle, Im not from Italy but I will always remember doctor Cassabona and Italy for saving my life !
This disease taught me that in every situation, if you have hope, everything is possible. Today Im a stronger person because I know what Ive been through in my young age. Dont give up, if you have symptoms, go to a doctor in Italy, they are the best doctors.